


What about our new beginning?

by Allie_enigma



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Acceptance, Canon Compliant, Dating, First Meetings, Fluff, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Genderfluid Character, Leylines, Magic, Other, Self-Acceptance, Storms, new home
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-06
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2020-01-05 20:21:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18373385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Allie_enigma/pseuds/Allie_enigma
Summary: The Mortal Instruments as you know. Told by a character you don't.





	1. When it rains, it pours.

**Author's Note:**

> Authors note: This story takes place alongside the events of The Mortal Instruments TV series. The story is told from the view of an unlikely character. The idea that I am trying to convey is that all characters (human or supernatural) have faults and while they sometimes make mistakes, this doesn't make them less valid or less worthy of being loved. Sometimes even the most un-liked characters have justifications to their actions and stories are often only told from one point of view.

Three months previously

The copper clock on the wall chimed seven. She was an hour late and he’d tried calling over and over and over again but there was no reply. Raj stood up from his chair in the tiny bistro and sighed to himself. He told Kathy that this was it; if she didn’t meet him for food tonight so they could talk about their relationship, they were done. He rung her again and the phone went straight to voicemail. He pushed his chair back with a groan. “That’s it. It’s over; I can’t keep putting myself through this anymore.”

He sauntered over to the bar and paid the tab for the cup of coffee he had drunk, and for the one still full and now cold. He began to type Kathy a final message, explaining that he’d left and he exited the family run bistro full of knickknacks. Raj glamoured himself between one shadow and the next so that he could make his way back to the institute without being seen. Drizzly rain started to come down all around him and the fine droplets soaked his trousers. Looking up at the blackening sky, he pulled his hoodless jacket over his head and began to cross the street. A dying Street lamp flickered its last breaths at the other side.

He walked with his head down, dodging puddles and stepping over the cracked sidewalks. Raj slid his phone back into his messenger bag so it didn’t get water damaged, placing it carefully behind two files on institute computer code. He cut across the quiet rode without looking up, completely unconcerned about traffic after his long and disappointing day and he just wanted to get back to the institute.

The sky trembled with anticipated destruction as an out of control car screeched around the corner. Its tires slipped and skidded without purchase as the heavens opened and the sky broke apart. Golden forks of lightning burst through the inky darkness. The car came out of nowhere and the mundane driver was completely unaware that Raj was crossing. Paralysed with instinct, he covered his face with his arms and braced for the hit that he knew no iratze could ever heal. It wasn’t the first time a shadowhunter had been run over by a clueless mundane, and it wouldn’t be the last.

In a split second, unbeknown to reason, a sphere of brilliant white light lit up around him, drawing him into a crouch. It crackled with a warm silver spark and enveloped him as he stood frozen. It ruffled his hair and ran down his arms like a warm shower in December. The shining arc blocked the torrent that was once above him, singling him out from the rest of the world. He reached out his hand, running his fingers along the soft and comforting glow. It wrapped in loops around his hands and wrists, setting off embers. It cast sparkles over the tarmacked ground that clattered like iridescent marbles. The warm and shining orb caused the oncoming vehicle to careen to the side of Raj without a scratch and as it raced down the road, disappearing as quickly as it came, Raj snapped from his trance.

“What in Raziel’s name was that?”

Between a flash of lightning and the next, a hooded figure could be seen on the other side of the road. The sky crackled with static energy and Raj’s boots slapped against the flooded ground as he raced to the other side of the deserted street and the figure who had just saved his life.  
The magic maker vanished in a crackle of sparks as another flash of lightning struck the ground between them.  
The street lamp blinked out, leaving Raj in darkness.

***

Sad and heavy droplets crashed down over the steps of the New York institute. Raj had received a text saying that he had to abandon his current mission, hunting a kappa demon in one of the lakes in Central Park, and return immediately. The day had been slow and damp anyway so that was fine with him.  
According to the report, a new shadowhunter, once believed to be a mundane and living in hiding had been found by Jace Wayland. The girl had been injured by a shax demon and was being brought back to the institute.

Raj ducked down under the covered sill of the door and grumbled to himself as he dug in his bag for his stele. As the New York institute was currently at full capacity, some shadowhunters would be expected to put their names forward to offer their room to this new arrival, just until other arrangements could be made. One would be selected by Maryse Lightwood who was the current institute head. Since Raj was already living nearly full time in an apartment down the road, he had decided to put his name forward.

Raj had decided that it was time to start looking for an apartment away from the New York institute after an incident several months back. Luckily then, he had met Jac and they quickly hit it off, meaning that he could stay with them, saving him a few days of hunting apartments when he actually should’ve been hunting demons. The incident had been one in a long run of the Lightwood children’s hijinks and pranks, but for Raj, it was the final straw.

The incident had happened on a gloomy, Thursday afternoon. A team of shadowhunters had been sent to dispatch a horde of Raum demons in the subway station and had returned soaked; covered in mud, water and ichor.

In an attempt to stay in and avoid a double date with his adopted brother, the Lightwoods eldest son had taken it upon himself to get some chores done. He had accidently put Raj’s new leather jacket in the wash, thinking it belonged to Jace, who had worn it out for the day. Raj couldn’t prove that the jacket destroyed in the wash had belonged to him.

What the boys didn’t know was that Jace’s jacket had actually been used by their younger brother, Max, to put out a small fire earlier in the week, which he had started by accident, while waiting for one of his tutors to arrive.

Raj’s jacket had been identical to Jace’s and had actually been a gift from Underhill for helping him with his studies. Underhill was struggling at the moment with reading up for a demon strategy exam.

Since he was young, for some reason, letters and words had always looked reversed or mixed up to Underhill and he struggled with studying for long periods. Underhill was unable to receive support from anyone else but Raj. He had kept it a secret from all but him in the fear that he would be deemed unfit for duty. Raj had tried to help him out the best he could by going over things such as spelling and helping him with his handwriting. It made him angry that Underhill had to struggle like this without help; he was very intelligent and had a big heart.

Raj had discovered that Jace’s jacket had actually been destroyed when the youngest Lightwood, Max, had tracked black soot from the charred remains throughout the whole of the institute and back to his room. Raj had then lost a coin flip to Aldertree over who would have to clean it.

***

Raj lifted his stele to the lock on the institute door. It hummed in reaction to his angelic blood.

Stepping into the institute always brought back fond memories for him. Despite not always agreeing with them, the institute offered a warm sense of sanctuary and belonging to its angel blooded inhabitants that they were unlikely to receive anywhere else in the city.

Raj removed his dripping coat and placed it in the alcove to the left of the door. Raindrops ran down his arms and face and he craved the sweet relief of a warm shower.

After checking in with ops and briefing the team on duty about the demon activity in central park, he set off down the corridor, on a mission to tidy his room and receive his meagre belongings. Shadowhunters were encouraged to keep their personal belongings to a minimum in case of a major incident where they would have to evacuate quickly.

Raj was side-tracked with thought as he strolled down the institute corridor. He was nervous about asking Jac if he could move in with them full time. It was a big step for anyone, but for a shadowhunter and warlock couple, it could mean trouble if others found out about their relationship.

In the past, there had been several known cases of well-respected shadowhunters growing tired of old traditions and ridiculous customs and publically revealing their relationships with downworld loved ones. Many of these had suffered an endless tyranny of problems after it including lack of promotion and constant ridicule from the shadowhunter society. Anyone who found a problem with this discrimination was afraid to speak out for a fear the same would happen to them. Perhaps in the future, there would come a time when his relationship would be openly accepted by shadowhunters and downworlders alike but they were a long way off that and for now, Raj and Jac were both making it their highest priority to keep their relationship a secret.

Raj turned the corner with a start, bumping head first into Aldertree’s shoulder. Aldertree had been reading a demon analysis report on a flat screened device and dropped it with a few explicit words. The device hit the ground screen first and neither of them needed to turn it over to tell that it had been badly smashed.

“Seriously Raj!? You know they are going to take that out of your spending credits this month.”

Spending credits were an electronic currency issued by the institute head. Each shadowhunter got a base-line amount to spend every month. If a shadowhunter were to perform exceptionally well in a month, they could earn additional credits. Alternatively, some of their credits could be converted into dollars if they wanted to use them out in the field. It was advised the credits be used for shadowhunter essentials such as ichor proof clothes but this was kind of looked over and as long as some was left over for emergencies, it wasn’t usually a problem.

“What do you mean my spending credits? You’re the one who dropped it! Not to mention the fact that you’d stopped right around the corner, how was I supposed to know you were there? For someone who preaches so much about training, I think you might want to fit in some time with Hodge and work on your reflexes Victor.”

“Aldertree poked Raj’s shoulder backwards with his fingertips, making his back hit the wall with a bump. “ I wouldn’t try to argue about my competence if I were you Raj. I know your little secret. If you did a better job at hiding your little high school romance, I wouldn’t actually be worried but running back and forth between here and your little apartment surely means that you’ve got other priorities and it makes me wonder if you have trouble focusing on the task at hand. You wouldn’t want Maryse lightwood to find out that you’re putting downworlders above your own people, would you?”

Aldertree released Raj’s shoulder and stepped over the smashed tablet. He disappeared down the corridor. Raj rolled his eyes and scoffed. If he had some dirt to use against Aldertree, perhaps he could stand his ground, but for now the relationship between him and the warlock Jac was far too important to risk discovery. He decided there and then that he would keep a low profile, own up to breaking the tablet and lose the credits, although it was ironic that he was secretly saving the credits to take Jac out to dinner in the first place.

There was one other person in the institute currently that Raj supposed he could talk to, although it was well into the night now and he was probably sleeping. Reluctantly, Raj approached the door at the far end of the corridor. He rapped his knuckles against the wooden panelling.

“Hey Underhill, are you awake in there? I don’t mean to wake you up but if I could just have a word wi-“ A faint scratching sound was coming from inside. Raj paused and clicked the door open.

Underhill’s room was located on the west-most wing of the institute, on the ground floor. His room was by miles the smallest, despite him having plenty to choose from. His strange choice of room was often noted on by the other shadowhunters and Raj made an effort to stand up for him when he wasn’t there to defend himself.

Unbeknownst to all but Raj, Underhill had narrowly escaped a horrific fire when he was a young shadowhunter, after a shax demon had infiltrated where he was living. Before being killed, the shax demon had knocked over a pillar of candles and the fire had spread quickly. Living on the third floor, Underhill narrowly escaped by climbing from a window but was unable to reach his little sisters as the flames licked up the building. Over the years, Underhill had told Raj segments of his tragic past, enabling him to piece everything together. Raj knew that Underhill wouldn’t be able to get to sleep unless he had a bedroom on the bottom floor of the institute.

Raj pushed the door wider and peered into the room. A strong breeze brushed over his arms, making him shiver. The faint scratching was coming from a branch that had pushed its way through the open window. Underhill was nowhere about. The dusty, worn curtains were beating against the frame and the wind howled like a cornered wolf. Raj pushed the branch back, pulled the window shut with a bump and left the room.

***

The first of the morning’s rays flickered over the institute. Raj stared up at the glass ceiling from his bed. He had been put up in the infirmary until the room situation could be resolved although he didn’t get why he couldn’t have stayed in his own room last night. He hadn’t even seen this new shadowhunter in the institute yet.

Raj’s back ached from an old injury as he swung his legs over the side. He could hear whispers amongst the current occupants of the room. Apparently the newly found shadowhunter was a similar age to and been taken under the wing of Alec, Isabelle and Jace Wayland.

The word going around was that she had run off with Wayland in the night, for the city of bones. If he was trying to get her alone, Raj could think of a few places for dates. Nearly all of them were preferable to a dark, underground cave system with telepathic monsters.

Apparently hysteric-red headed -wannabe shadowhunters had a higher priority over long term residents of the New York institute. Perhaps she had parents that were high up on the hierarchy of the shadowhunter family tree? At the end of the day, it always came down the family politics. Being a shadowhunter, the lottery of birth could mean being born with everything or nothing.

He hated to think how he stood in the grand scheme of things. While living with a warlock had its perks, that didn’t mean it came without its difficulties, but he cared for Jac nonetheless.

Raj had been sent a fire message yesterday, requesting an early morning audience in Maryse Lightwood’s office. After dressing and taking a quick shower, he began to make his way to the corridor where the institutes’ office was located.

On his way, Raj quickly cut through the training room. Sometimes Hodge put out snacks in an effort to get everyone up and working early. If you wanted something with as much as a chocolate chip, you had to be there quick.

Raj did a double take at a sound coming from the corner. Alec lightwood was tucked away, punching a gym bag as if his life depended on it. Raj wondered what had him so worked up? He had it easier than most of them. What did he have to be stressed about? Rumours had been going around that sometime in the night, the new shadowhunter’s little mundane friend had run into problems with the vamps and needed to be rescued. Raj supposed that could have set Lightwood off. They were trained to battle demons, not babysit mundanes.

Raj rounded the corridor and appeared at the door of Maryse Lightwoods office. He knew she would already be seated behind her desk, reading over the morning reports. He tapped his knuckles against the closed door.

“Yes, what is it?” Maryse’s voice struck through the closed door. Raj pushed it open as she raised her head.

“You said that you wanted to see me in private about the room situation?”

“Ah, yes. Raj, come in. as you have been made aware, we are currently experiencing some issues with accommodation. As you now know, the daughter of Jocelyn Fairchild has been brought to the institute and needs to be temporarily accommodated for. I understand it puts me in a difficult position and perhaps it is unfair for me to ask of this from you but, correct me if I am wrong, I have heard word that you have been living in an apartment downtown? Would it be acceptable for me to ask of you that you temporarily offer your room to her? If you have issues with this or perhaps don’t like living by yourself then perhaps other arrangements could be made.”

“Living by myself?” Raj thought to himself. His head raced with relief. Maryse Lightwood didn’t know about Jac. His secret was safe. For now. As long as he could persuade Aldertree to keep his mouth shut.

“I am happy to offer my room to her. While we are both aware that I’m surely not the only shadowhunter living in separate accommodation to the institute, I am happy to move my things and relocate in order to accommodate her. Honestly I have been thinking of living elsewhere for a while now so there’s no better time really. It’s also close enough that it won’t affect my work, I can be here at a moment’s notice.”

A small smile skipped over Maryse’s lips.

“Thank you Raj, that makes things much easier for me. Your sacrifice has been noted and you will receive extra spending credits this month in compensation for your cooperation,”

Raj nodded in reply. He stood up hastily and began to make his way to the door. As he reached the doorframe, Maryse made a final remark.

“By the way Raj, I know it’s none of my business, but if it turns out that you are moving in with a significant other, please remind them and yourself of the protocols for dating fellow shadowhunters in the workplace. Its printed on page 176 of your standard issue codex.

***  
After receiving his possessions: a spare stele, clothes, his codex and the flat, circular pendant that Jac had bought him on their first date, Raj meandered towards Underhill’s room in the hope that he could catch him before he left. Once again, Raj knocked the door. There was no answer. He had an endurance session scheduled later so maybe he’d see him then.

The heavy institute door creaked open as Raj made his way outside. He balanced the cardboard box he was carrying on his hip. The sun was shining for a change and he felt hopeful. Maryse had given him the rest of the day to sort himself out in his new apartment so he was free until six. That meant he could hopefully spend the day with Jac which they hadn’t been able to do in a while. A faint ringtone started playing and Raj pulled his phone from his back pocket.  
“Hey Jac. I was just about to call you. Listen, I need to ask a favour. If it’s too soon, then I can think of something else.” He paused and let out a breath “A new shadowhunter has been brought to the institute and is in need of a room. It might be too soon but I was wondering if you were okay with me moving into the apartment. I figured maybe we were ready for this.” Raj paused and his breath hitched as he waited for an answer.

“Come over Raj and we can talk. You know where the key is.”

***

Raj ran his hands over the ledge on the top of the door. He remembered a time when he and Jac were walking back to the apartment for a drink. It was only actually their second date.

They had been walking along the waterfront and Jac was walking while balanced on the ledge overlooking the water, laughing when Raj took their hand to stop them falling. Raj had asked why they bothered with the use of keys when warlocks had an indispensable source of magic. He was surprised by the response.

Jac jumped down from the ledge and brushed a dark lock of Raj’s hair from his eyes. They walked hand in hand along the river.

“Throughout my life, I’ve always hated being defined by boundaries. I know that its common practice for warlocks to use their magic for every aspect of their lives. From cooking, to chores, to transport. But I don’t like being dependant on it. I guess I just feel that if I used my magic all the time, it would stop being special. It would stop me feeling special and I would take it for granted. Do you understand that?” they reached a short clearing, hidden in a crop of trees. Away from prying eyes.

Raj paused for a minute and ran his hands over Jac’s shoulders. Their eyes met under the midnight moon and cars could be heard in the distance.

“Jac, I’ve never had a shred of doubt since I met you that you were anything but special.”

Jac’s shoulder length hair shifted from an auburn red to a soft sunset pink. Since around the age of fifteen, when the warlock mark first developed, Jac had learnt how to alter the colours of their eyes and hair on command. This admittedly wasn’t a bad mark to have. Especially when other warlock friends were starting to develop marks that were difficult to hide. While in public, warlocks often chose to conceal their mark so they didn’t stand out amongst the mundane humans. Jac often chose to alter the colour of their hair and eyes depending on their mood…or their daily wardrobe choice.

Jac lifted their head at this remark. Never before had they come across a shadowhunter who was so openly accepting of what and who they were and they certainly never imagined they would end up on a date with one. After texting nonstop for a week after they met, Jac had openly explained to Raj how they liked to identify themselves, and he had accepted them with open arms.

Raj touched his forehead to Jac’s and licked his lips. His heart raced a million miles a minute. Jac was young for a warlock. Inexperienced. And Raj was trying his best to be careful with their feelings.

“Raj, I have to tell you something.”

He paused and opened his eyes. Jac’s switched in alarm, from hazel to sky blue.

“What’s wrong? Am I coming on too strong?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“Then what is it?”

“I think there’s something wrong with me. Since we met a few weeks ago, I haven’t been right and it’s only fair on both of us if I tell you now.” Jac’s eyes teared up and turned a light silver colour. “It’s like I can feel something growing inside me, I’ve been feeling on edge, I haven’t been able to sleep and I’ve got no appetite. I’ve been to warlocks with the best healing magic aground and they can’t find what the matter with me is. I know that we haven’t known each other for long but I need to prepare you in case it’s something bad and you don’t want to get involved with me.”

Raj pulled Jac close and they rested their face against his shoulder. Raj chuckled to himself. Jac looked up with bright orange eyes, panic set into their face.

“What is it? Do you know what it’s called?”

Raj smiled “Jac, pardon me if I seem abrupt but I think that’s something called butterflies”

***

Jac’s front door opened with a click. Raj tossed his belongings on the sofa. The apartment was quiet but the lights were on. It was eerily quiet. There was a note on the fridge; they often did this to leave messages to one another. Raj crossed the living area, into the kitchen, and pulled the tacked note away.

“Close your eyes”

Raj raised an eyebrow and covered his eyes with his hands “Okay Jac, you’re starting to freak me out now, where ar-“

Suddenly, Jac burst from inside the clothes cupboard and jumped onto Raj’s back, wrapping their legs around his waist while giggling and planting a soft kiss on his cheek.” 

Raj burst into a laughter that could never be brought out of him unless with Jac. He simply missed them too much when they weren’t around. While those living in the institute always saw Raj as grumpy and detached from his emotions, Jac knew they had it all wrong. He just hated having to hide who he was when he was with the shadowhunters. He was just afraid.

Jac hopped down and slid their hands down Raj’s side and under his shirt. “I missed you last night.”

Raj curled his index finger under Jac’s chin. Jac lifted themselves up on their tiptoes while grinning, Raj was much taller, and brushed their noses against one another’s. Their lips met. A soft brush at first, gentle and sensitive that grew more intense as the minutes went on. Without pulling apart, Raj lifted Jac up by the waist so they could sit on the counter. Jac wrapped their legs around Raj’s waist with eyes lit up in a brilliant cherry red. The colour of roses just before the sun went down for the night. Jac’s eyes matched the bright sun dress that they were wearing today. Raj opened his eyes as he spoke against Jac’s mouth.

“Probably not the time but I see you have your pink bracelet on, do you want me to refer to you as a woman today?”

Jac’s personal preference was to wear a blue and black bracelet on the days that they wanted to be referred to as a male and a pink, purple and white one on the days they wanted to be referred to as a female. Jac was a little uneasy on the stereotypically gender-assigned colours but it meant that they could easily communicate their wishes to their downworld friends, and to Raj.

Jac nodded and brushed Raj’s hair back behind his ear. Something Jac was learning was that while Raj was still new to this, he was never disrespectful or forceful of their wishes. “I saw this dress the other day and couldn’t wait to show you” Jac twirled on her tiptoes and grinned. “She’s a beaut. Don’t you agree?”  
Raj looked down into Jac’s eyes that had changed to a light shade of violet. This showed that she was excited and was one of his favourite colours in the whole world. They sparkled like the night stars. Like flat disks of candy. Like freshly cut flowers in the spring.

“Yes,” he replied. His eyes skimmed over her face and he brought his hand to her cheek, brushing his thumb in circles over her cheek bone. “I think she’s beautiful.”

Jac turned her face to Raj’s hand, taking in the scent of metal and healing salve. With her eyes shut, she pressed her lips against his palm.


	2. Starlight and Silver chains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Picnic in the park, shopping in the downworld. Familiar Faces, heartfelt declerations as the sun goes down and Russell loses his dinner.

The afternoon rolled around quickly. Raj and Jac lay on a picnic blanket in Central Park, under the dappled shade of a tree.

Jac lifted her head, checking to see if Raj had dozed off. He hadn’t spoken in a while but she knew that he loved nothing more than basking in the sunlight like a cat and didn’t want to disturb him. Maybe he was thinking?

She placed a few things back into the basket and looked up at the crystal clear sky. A monarch butterfly landed on her flowered headband. Jac glanced around the lawn to see if anyone was nearby. She smiled and flicked through a range of hair colours, from pink, to purple and finally to orange. The butterfly danced around her head in excitement and left to join another in flight.

“By the angel, I love it when you do that”

Jac swivelled around where she was sitting and smiled shyly at Raj. She moved to crouch down by his side.

“I thought you were sleeping” she planted a kiss on his forehead and lay down on her side next to him. She placed her hand on the bottom of his throat and lifted out a medallion on a chain from under his t shirt. It reflected the light and she could see the inscription.

Initium novum. ‘ _New beginning’._

She remembered the day she bought it. It was the first date they ever had.

 ***

Jac had spent all morning deciding what to wear. To keep it casual, he had worn lace up boots, black skinny jeans and a blue checked shirt. With his hair up in a beanie, Jac had approached Raj who was sitting on a bench in the corner of Central Park. Jac sat down next to him and they faced each other. Jac had needlessly worried and texted Raj to explain that there would be no dresses today.

“Hi, it’s nice to see you.”

“It’s good to see you too.”

Despite the initial awkwardness, within the hour, Jac and Raj were talking like they had always known one another. After buying a hotdog each, they made their way out of the park and came across a shadow market selling various foods and trinkets, along with a few potions and spells if you knew where to look. Raj was actually a little uneasy about being in a place where shadowhunters and downworlders could potentially mix; anyone from the institute could see them here.

Raj directed his thoughts back to Jac and gestured to the stalls. “Do you get bored of New York when you can literally go anywhere in the world at the drop of a hat?”

Jac smiled “Not really, New York is always changing. There are always new things to buy or people to meet”

“Honestly I’ve never had a lot of time to explore it. Sometimes I wish that I could move somewhere new and start over”

Jac nodded. He understood where Raj was coming from. “I get that but I don’t think you need to move to have a fresh start. Sometimes you just need the right moment or to meet the right person and you can begin all over again. Do you mind if we walk over there? There’s a warlock friend of mine. You probably know him actually; he’s the High Warlock of Brooklyn.”

Raj followed Jac towards where Magnus Bane was standing. They silently acknowledged each other while he and Jac spoke.

Jac smiled up at Magnus “It’s good to see you Magnus. It’s been a while”

“It certainly has. I’d love to catch up Jac, but unfortunately I’m in a bit of a rush.” He looked around the clearing where they stood to make sure no one was listening in on them. He whispered.

 “Rumour has it that Valentine has resurfaced after all these years and he’s begun hunting warlocks. Apparently one idiot of a Warlock made a potion that put his late wife to sleep and he’s trying to find them.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out two slips of paper.  “I’m harbouring any warlocks that want temporary sanctuary from that monster so I’m covering my back with an excuse for a party. I’m having a big invite-only rave at Pandemonium in a few days if you would like to come Jac” he paused “…You too Raj”.

After exchanging pleasant goodbyes, the two parties silently went their separate ways. Magnus Bane opened a portal in the middle of the square and stall owners tackled their belongings in irritation, fighting against the spinning currents. A tall, broad shouldered wolf with a beard was standing at one of the food stalls not far away. He bit into the air with disappointment as a chunk of meat flew from his white plastic fork and into the melee. Jac snorted with laughter in response and covered his mouth with his hand. Raj smiled down at Jac.

Jac smiled up at Raj.

“What was that for?” Jac asked grinning.

“It’s just you Jac. You just make me smile… Would you… would you mind if I held your hand?”

Jac beamed up. “I wouldn’t”

Raj pulled out his right hand from where it had been resting in his trouser pocket. He laid out his hand palm up with his elongated fingers spaced slightly apart, a gesture of the sanctuary and protectiveness that he would offer to Jac. If he chose to take it.

Jac moved his satchel from his left to his right shoulder and fit his hand perfectly into the curve of Raj’s. Warm palms sliding over each other’s without friction. Jac curled his fingers down; fitting them perfectly in the spaces between Raj’s, whose curled up in response like a beacon.

Jac softly dropped the volume of his voice. “Raj, I’ve never seen you smiling like this”

“That’s because I’ve never cared about anyone like this.”

They had spent the rest of the day browsing the downworld stalls with their hands linked, never needing to or wanting to leave each other’s side. Eventually they came across a store, run by someone Jac was acquainted with who worked part time selling silver and gold trinkets. He was an unusual warlock with red and orange scales… and a side career in theatrical fire eating.

“You or your boyfriend see anything you like?”

Raj stuttered. They hadn’t discussed what they were to each other yet. He didn’t even know if Jac was okay with that description. His hand tightened in protectiveness and then released as Jac wandered to the edge of the tent to look at the wares on the table.

The warlock running the stall spoke in a low, gruff voice to Raj. “You’re a shadowhunter aren’t you? I can tell by the way you hold your posture. I’d be careful around here if I were you. Your kind isn’t popular in these parts.”

Jac obliviously ran his hand across a metal rack on the table. The necklaces chimed and caught the light, casting little rainbows across the side of the tent. He grinned in delight, his eyes turning a light violet colour.

Raj narrowed his eyes at the stall owner but spoke in a light and affectionate tone.

“Jac, I’m going to get a drink outside okay?”

Jac’s eyes still sparkled in delight over the trinkets. “Sure thing sunshine, I’ll catch up in a minute.”

***

Later on, Raj and Jac could be found back in the park, on a bench, staring out at the peach sky as the sun went down. Raj licked his lips and shut his eyes for a second, feeling the warmth in his heart from both Jac’s companionship and his head resting on Raj’s shoulder. Their hands were intertwined and they were pushed against each other, despite plenty of room on the bench.

Raj thought that his heart would burst with the longing and happiness he was feeling.

Jac turned his head and smiled sweetly. He moved one hand so it wrapped over the back of the bench and around Raj’s shoulder. His other hand repeatedly brushed through Raj’s hair. Raj had shut his eyes in bliss. Jac spoke first “You do realise that we were supposed to only go out for a few hours today right? Our first date turned into our first day together.”

Raj bumped his head affectionately against Jac’s and brushed their noses together. He spoke on a low voice. “I know. I forgot that I was supposed to attend a panel about getting a new head of security today, now I bet Aldertree will get it.”

Jac’s pupils widened in shock. It was nearly dark now.

“Raj I’m so sorry. Will you get in trouble?”

“Nah, don’t be, no one would notice that I was gone. No one cares for me.”

Jac lowered his eyes and reached down into his satchel that was at his feet.

He beamed and spoke in a low voice that only Raj could hear. “I bought you something”

“For me?” Raj gently took the brown bag from Jac’s hands. “But I didn’t get you anything”

Something glinted in the dying light and Raj lifted a chain out from the bag. He turned the metal circle over and brushed his thumb over the inscription.  _I_ _nitium novum_

Jac smiled “Okay Raj, when you said that no one cares about you, that hurt” Jac chuckled. “Because I care about you. I’ve only known you a short while and there’s an energy to you that would put the moon and the stars to shame. Your very grace and soul pours out of you and nourishes the very ground you walk on.” They looked at each other with tears in their glassy eyes. Jac spoke again as the last light of day disappeared over the skyline.

“I got this for you when you went out of the shop; I had it inscribed by the Warlock. When you told me earlier that you wanted to start again and move from New York, I understood that. But if you just let me be here with you, in this moment and all those in the future, good and bad, I could be your new beginning. We could be each other’s.”

 

 


	3. Dance like no one is watching

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a bad day at the institute, Raj and his SO have a downworld rave to get to. What's the worst that could go wrong? There's a few familiar faces dotted about as Raj tries to get himself and his SO through the night.

The next day, Raj was splayed out across the living room sofa. There was something on the TV in front of him, but he had no clue what it was or what it was about.

Bane’s downworld party was tonight and Jac had spent the morning parading back and forth from their room, to the long mirror in the hall. Each time they came out, Raj’s breath hitched. So far, Jac had walked out in six different suits and about eight dresses of varying lengths, shapes and colours. Raj had loved every one of them but Jac was yet to make a choice.

“What do you think of this one?” Jac’s sweet voiced carried down the hall as she half turned to face the mirror. Jac was wearing tall heels with a short dress with a long- mermaid like train in the back. Jac switched her hair through varying shades of pink and red to try and accompany the fabric.

Barefoot, Raj got up and put his hands on Jac’s shoulders from behind. They looked at each other in the long mirror.

“Jac, you look beautiful whatever you’re wearing” he kissed Jac’s cheek once while she closed her eyes and let out a sigh. “But” he continued “I have to get back to the institute, so I’ll be back later.”

Jac turned around in Raj’s hold so his hands rested on her waist. In heels, Jac was nearly as tall as Raj. Jac brushed her nose against Raj’s, teasing and she pulled her head back at the last second, just as Raj lent forward to kiss her mouth. Raj raised his eyebrows in curiosity as Jac placed her fingers against Raj’s lips and walked him to the door. He was a little annoyed at the gesture but warlocks would always be mysterious to him. Who was he to question any of it?

***

Raj ran his stele over the Institute door. It clicked and hummed in reaction. The locks and tumblers turning inside.

The second he reached the ops room, a hand reached out from around the corner and grabbed him by the back of the collar. Raj kicked and struggled as a hand went over his mouth. The mysterious stranger shouted with a growl as Raj resisted. “Raj! Be quiet a minute”

Raj’s heart raced as he got pulled backwards down the corridor, unable to see who had the back of his jacket and where they were going. Raj went limp in the persons arms, making them stop what they were doing. In a split second, Raj twisted in their grip, wrapping his ankle around the back of the other persons leg, making them fall with a thump as Raj landed on top of them with a small blade against their throat.

“WHAT THE HELL, UNDERHILL?!”

Underhill shouted a muffled reply; Raj’s arm was over his mouth and his eyes were wide with panic. Underhill wasn’t one for conflict. It was why he lived out his life in intelligence, working on the security and computer systems.

“SORRY, RAJ! I had to get you alone!”

“TRY TEXT INSTEAD OF KIDNAPP NEXT TIME!”

Raj released Underhill and they both stood up. Underhill looked to see if anyone was coming before he ushered him into his small room at the bottom of the corridor. Raj followed with a huff.

Raj crossed his arms over as he sat on the storage chest at the bottom of Underhill’s bed. Underhill turned back to Raj, mirroring him as he crossed his own arms. He looked down at the floor and mumbled something to Raj, apparently embarrassed about it.

“Underhill…WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH YOU”

“YOU SHUT ME OUT!” he paused with his eyes closed and gestured with his hands. “You shut me out Raj.”

Raj shouted back in irritation. “HOW THE HELL COULD I SHUT YOU OUT? I HAVEN’T EVEN SEEN YOU! WE SHOULD BE GOING OUT ON MISSION! NOT TALKING LIKE TEN YEAR OLD GIRLS!”

“I MEAN YOU SHUT ME OUT OF MY ROOM YESTERDAY! YOU SHUT MY WINDOW AND LOCKED ME OUT RAJ!”

“WHATS WRONG WITH THE FRONT DOOR? There’s this great new thing the angel made Underhill…ITS CALLED AN UNLOCK RUNE!”

Underhill calmed himself down and let out a breath. “I was bringing someone back here Raj…I…I couldn’t use the front door.”

Raj stormed towards the door, he really didn’t want to be dealing with this right now. He muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Underhill to hear. “You know what Underhill? Next time just go to the girls place.” Underhill started to reply.

“That’s what I needed to te-” Raj left and shut the door after him, leaving Underhill standing alone with his arms by his sides. He talked despite the fact that no one could hear him, Raj was long gone.

“It wasn’t a girl Raj…”

***

Raj walked through the long institute corridor until he reached the ops room. Aldertree was there, raving to the others on something to do with mundane speed limits. Raj counted at least five of them yawning in the space of about a minute. The angel had gifted the institute inhabitants with supernatural abilities, so that they could go out and battle demons, not battle to stay awake as Aldertree blathered on about whatever nonsense he was on about. As he finished, and they cleared out, Raj tried slipping out of the room, but Victor caught his glance from the corner of his eye.

He grinned and spoke in a teasing, sing-song tone. “Raj…wait a minute”

Raj groaned and spun around on his heel to face Aldertree. Raj didn’t know what or why, but something had really set him off this morning and he was not in the mood for this. “What is it Victor? You don’t think I have better things to do than stand here and gossip with you.

Victor grinned, apparently knowing something Raj didn’t “You stayed out last night”

Raj clapped sarcastically “Great observation Victor, considering…you know…my lack of actual presence here”

Aldertree dragged his hand down his face, contorting his features. He looked at the decorated ceiling and whispered to himself “Raziel, give me strength.” He looked back at Raj and continued “I mean, Maryse said that you moved out. Guess you’re staying with your little downworld boo then?” He grinned again. Raj rushed forward, placing his hand over Aldertree’s mouth.

Raj looked around the ops room to see if anyone was listening in on their conversation. “SHHH! be quiet! I don’t want the others finding out”

Raj looked over him with a great degree of indifference. “Then I guess you won’t mind taking over my ichor duty then.” He gestured over to the pile of sticky broadswords, daggers and axes that were strewn across the table. He spun on his heel and walked out, leaving Raj with a scowl on his face and a cloth in his hand.

***

Raj flew down the institute steps, it was getting dark now and he had arranged to pick up his outfit for Bane’s downworld party at pandemonium later, he’d made sure his shirt had long enough sleeves to hide his runes. Raj let out a breath he hadn’t realised he was holding, releasing some tension in his chest, he was glad to be done for the day. He hoped with a bit of luck that he wouldn’t have to see another Shadowhunter for the rest of the day.

But he hadn’t been very lucky lately.

***

“Jac sweetie? Are you ready to go?”

Raj sat on the single chair close to the door. They had to be at Pandemonium three hours early to be able to get in and it was going to be a long night. He hadn’t even wanted to go. Not that he had anything against downworlders per se. He was dating one after all. But that didn’t mean he wanted to stand in long lines, be crammed in a hot dance hall all night or be poked with various wings and tails. He wouldn’t even be able to eat or drink anything, who knew what it could do to a Shadowhunter?

Jac walked around the corner and Raj’s breath caught in his chest. All his stresses of the day began to unravel at the sight of Jac in front of him. Raj stood up in awe, getting slightly emotional at the sight in front of him. Jac was wearing a turquoise-blue sparkly dress, slightly longer in the back than the front, showing off more of her legs and figure than the world had ever seen, complete with her pink bracelet that glittered on her wrist, a symbol of the woman he was so proud to show off to the world tonight.

***

Raj and Jac had reached about halfway through the line when he stopped dead in his tracks. He was far too behind to see who they were but there were two girls and two guys in front that held themselves the way Shadowhunters did and it made him nervous. But no other Shadowhunters were stupid enough to be here tonight? Were they? Raj groaned to himself. The tall one looked like Lightwood. If he wasn’t such a homebody, Raj might have been more worried. There was no chance that was him, he was just being paranoid.

Jac looked up at Raj with concern in her neon pink eyes. Apparently, the rave called for it although Raj didn’t know how Jac kept it up, it hurt his own eyes a little when he looked into hers. “What is it Sunshine? You’re on edge. It doesn’t matter anyway but I’m telling you-” she lifted herself up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek gently “-there are no Shadowhunters here, okay?” Two faerie nymphs behind them jumped up and down and clapped in excitement.

***

Strong techno music blasted through the room. A thousand churning bodies moved as one on the dance floor.

“By the angel-” Raj thought to himself as he moved back and forth quietly. He was hating every second of this “-it must be a thousand degrees in here”. His throat was dry, and he was trying not to step on the tail of a warlock that kept walking across his path. He glanced over the dance floor to the side of the room. Bane was talking to a blond guy and a shorter red-headed girl. The guy was holding something up that looked like a red amulet, it glittered and caught the light as the crowd shifted in front of them, blocking Raj’s view of them.

Jac jumped up and down in perfect sync with the music. Her eyes were closed, and her fist pumped the air as she moved and flowed like water. Raj watched in awe as she danced to each timed beat, nearly impossible for him to even make out with a hearing rune amongst all the sound and chaos. He thought to himself as she carried on dancing with her eyes closed. He would go to one of these god damn awful things every single night if it made this beautiful woman happy.


	4. Forever changing family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone knows about a Shadowhunter's duty. Running around at night and protecting the world from demons. What the other members of the New York institute don't know is that Raj has his own band of little demons, who he helps care for when he's off duty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, this chapter has mentions of a baby mundane being turned into a vampire <3

It was a few nights later, when Raj was lacing up his shoes, that Jac stirred behind him and hugged him from his waist.

“I’m sorry Jac. Did I wake you? Lydia Branwell is under the impression that Clary Fairchild has the mortal cup, so she wants some of us to go have a look for it.”

Jac pressed their lip to the side of Raj’s neck. “That’s a shame. But no, you didn’t wake me. My phone just went off, under my pillow. There’s a new fledgling emerging in central park and one of the vampires think it could be a suckling. I need to go and assist.”

Raj turned around and placed a hand on Jac’s face. “It’s still dark out. Are you sure that you’re okay to go out on your own?”

“I’ll be fine-” Jac jumped off the bed and walked around the other side, towards the bathroom. “-I’ve got my magic and I don’t think anyone would want to mess with me.”

Raj chuckled to himself as Jac walked to the dresser and slid the blue bracelet onto his wrist. He was wearing bunny slippers and dinosaur pyjama bottoms. “You’re right, Jac. I wouldn’t want to mess with you.”

***

“Give me a break, Wayland. I’m just trying to do my job.”

Jace snatched the clothes from Raj’s hand and Raj turned around with a scowl. The last thing that he had wanted to be doing tonight was rifling through Clary Fairchild’s draws. He wanted to be snuggling up to Jac, warm in his bed. Or at least out and helping him out with his work. Jac was still sorting out the same crew now, minus the selkie baby who had been given to a mermaid family, but the suckling would be added to it by the end of the night.

Shortly after meeting, Raj had walked into Jac’s apartment to find two small children, wrestling and growling at one another and another spitting up fireballs on the mat in the kitchen. He had stepped over the two wrestling, wondering what the hell was going on, and followed the sound of water running from the bathroom. He had entered to find Jac sitting on the edge of the tub with what appeared to be a Seelie, splashing around in the water.

Jac spoke softly, as Raj came into the room. “I’ve got my hands full tonight. Would you mind keeping an eye on the others. This one-“ She pointed to the mud covered toddler who was giggling on the tiles. “-Is going to take a while to clean. I needed to get the selkie baby sorted first because she’s been out of water for too long. Poor thing. I think she has weakened bloodlines, so she was left by one of the ponds, in the park. She was too young to know what was happening and one of my warlock friends picked her up.”

Raj looked to the toddler on the rug, hardly even a toddler, it was a baby really. “What happened to that one?”

“Typical nibbler. All the others can be dealt with normally. The selkie and the two wolves in the living room will grow, as will the warlock child.” She lifted the selkie out and replaced it with the vampire baby. “The tragic thing about vampires is that they’re suspended. This little one isn’t going to grow any more. It’s easy enough to find temporary homes with one of the vampires or perhaps a warlock, but not many want to be running after a baby for all eternity. A suckling isn’t too hard to home because a three or four year old can be easier for some to look after, but a nibbler is a different ask. I have to make them promise to bring them back if they ever decide to move on. It’s heart-breaking when they get handed back. God, the screams, Raj. Can you imagine a mundane baby living with a parent for twenty something years and then being given to a stranger?” Jac handed the selkie, with a towel over her head, to Raj.

“Can you take her a minute? I’ve got some meat cooking in the oven that I have to check. Won’t be a minute.” Jac tied back her hair and wiped her hands before going out into the hall. Raj set the selkie onto the baby mat and started scrubbing soil out of the vampire’s hair, as he hissed.

“No, no. Don’t do that.” Raj looked around, slightly dazed at what Jac did for a living. Looking after and re-homing baby downworlders seemed like such a Jac thing to do, but it couldn’t be easy. The selkie rolled onto her back and chewed at a squeaky fish that Jac must have given her. Raj lifted the vampire and started rubbing his hair with a towel. He had never been a very paternal man, but something touched him about the innocence of the baby vampire, sucking on the corner of the red towel. If he closed his eyes, he could almost believe this strange collection of children were his and Jacs’ and that they would never have uncertain futures or risk not being loved.

***

Raj stood in Maryse’s office. Robert Lightwood was supposed to be heading up the institute with her, but he never actually seemed to be around. Raj suspected that they didn’t get along well but wasn’t inclined to comment.

“I’ve heard a rumour that you and Andrew Underhill were heard arguing the other day. I hope for the sake of your work that you have resolved it.”

Raj nodded. He had been on mission with Andrew a few days after their fight, and he had told Raj about what was bothering him. Raj hated living in a society that was so unaccepting but the alternative would be leaving the shadowhunters and the war against demons. He couldn’t do that either.

”Its been resolved.”

Maryse nodded and flicked through her papers without looking up. “I’ve got a bit of a strange assignment for you. I know it’s late but you can have the day off tomorrow if you help me out with this one. There’s been reports of a disturbance in central park. I’ll message you with the address. It’s a bit hazy, but from what I hear, something has happened between a wolf and a vampire and they are causing quite a racket. I would appreciate if you could take a look and get back to me. If there is an ongoing fight then we will have to call the leaders of the nearest clans and packs in order to sort it.”

***

Raj looked both ways quickly, before crossing over the road. In the past, he had been reckless with his behaviour but Jac had changed his view point a bit and he wasn’t as self destructive as he used to be.

He entered the gate in the park as his phone went off with the exact co-ordinates. There were two goblins with fishing rods, sitting on the edge of one of the ponds. They had a small pile of gemstones between them and Raj wondered how they had acquired them. He looked up at the sky. The moon wasn’t full yet.

Several vampires were sat on a picnic table, discussing a new restaurant that was opening. It would be selling various flavours of blood and the local vampires were getting quite excited about it. They would have to start heading home in a bit, it wouldn’t stay dark for long. A few of them hissed as Raj walked past. Some downworlders still had a deep mistrust of shadowhunters. But they probably had good reason to.

He walked up onto one of the lawns. There was indeed a vampire and a wolf arguing but not for a reason that he would expect. He remained in the shadows. Hopefully they could sort it out themselves and he wouldn’t need to intervene.

“-and I’ve said that I’m fed up of this! We cant keep it up!”

The vampire hissed. “I’ve told you that I don’t care! I love you, Martha!”

“Well I do care! It’s not fair to me to keep putting myself through this. I cant live as I want to when I’m with you. I’m sorry. I cant live in secret any more. Wolves and vampires will never be accepted together. Warlocks and shadowhunters cant be together. Seelies and mundanes cant be together. It. Doesn’t. Work. It will never be accepted!”

“So this is it? Just like that? After all we’ve been through together!”

The wolf clicked and cracked, as she changed her form. She shot off into the park, with the vampire woman chasing after her.

Raj walked out into the moonlight, not knowing what he was going to tell Maryse. He hadn’t expected to see this tonight. He understood about himself and Jac, and that others probably dallied with other kinds of creatures, but he had never really thought about it being a common occurrence. He hadn’t stopped to imagine all the relationships that had been wrecked over stupid laws that didn’t really matter.

He had told Maryse that it could take a while, so he had some time to spare. Jac had told him earlier about where he thought the fledgling had been buried, so he set off to see if he could offer any assistance.

***

Jac looked up, as Raj walked towards her. She flashed her pink bracelet which she had decided to change before leaving the house.

Raj smiled. “What’s up, beautiful? Did you find them yet?”

Jac looked around the park and kissed him quickly. “No. There was supposed to be a clan leader here to meet me. But it looks like they’ve gone. It’s sad, but they don’t really care for young vampires who get turned. I’ve got the right area but unlike with an adult vampire, it’s hard to see the ground moving until they emerge. Have you got a flashlight?”

Raj reached into his bag. He flicked on the flashlight and pointed it at the ground. “I’ve got time to kill, so why don’t I help you? Maryse said that I can have tomorrow off so we’ll find it and head home. I’ll help make some calls.”

Jac waved her hands and a beam of warm light came from them. She pointed it towards a dark crop of trees. “It could be over there-“ They started walking, the light bouncing off the ground between them. “It’s obviously deeply frowned upon to feed off a human child, so the vampire probably buried it in secret. Even if I knew who it was, the clan leader would refuse to accept who had done it. Thankfully, it doesn’t happen very often.”

Jac’s hands were shaking and the light was darting across the ground. Raj steadied it as he took her hand in his own. He smiled, jokingly. “What about our other babies?”

Raj smiled up at him and her pupils turned a soft pink. “They’re with a few of my friends. I’ll make a portal when we get back home.”

Raj’s light caught the ground. There was a pile of leaves and soil, clearly meant to be hidden, right in the wall by the corner of the park. “This looks like the place.”

Jac tutted as she crouched and pushed the pile of leaves over. She put her hand flat, on the ground, and felt the vibrations from below. She probably wouldn’t have been able to notice it without Raj’s runes. Others didn’t seem to get that sometimes, downworlders and shadowhunters were better together. “We’ll have to wait and hope they didn’t bury it too deep. Only the strongest make it out.”

The ground shook violently and the two of them stepped back. Two tiny hands burst up through the ground and then a head. Raj raced forward to pull it up, as Jac conjured up what disgustingly appeared to be a bottle of warm blood.

Raj turned away from Jac and pulled the young nibbler from the ground. She was tiny and he had no idea how she had managed to pull herself up. She hissed and spat at Raj and he struggled to hold her without getting bitten. He held her under the arms as she squirmed in his grip. He turned and held her out to Jac with a smile. “It’s a girl!”

Jac laughed as she took the soil covered baby. She put the bottle into her mouth and sat back onto the grass. The baby stopped shrieking and sucked hungrily at the bottle. Raj laughed as he looked down at himself, glad he wouldn’t have to go back to the institute for tonight. He was plastered in mud and leaves. He took off his jacket and wrapped it around the baby, as Jac hummed sweetly to her.

***

Light shimmered in a spinning orb as Jac opened the portal. Raj rocked the little vampire in his arms, wondering what to call her. Jac had never considered naming the children before, she didn’t want to get attached before they had new names and went to their new homes, but Raj had convinced her.

“I better not name you before Mommy gets back. Oh no, I shouldn’t. She’ll be mad at me! Oh yes, she will!” The baby slept on peacefully as Raj placed her into a special covered crib that would protect her in the day. There was an excited shriek from the living room and Raj walked in to be tackled by the two young, wolf twins. He walked over to Jac with a scratcher wrapped around each of his legs. Their little nails dug into him as he walked. The remains of the portal closed as Jac walked forward with Jasper the little warlock, which were collectively known as shiners, and star, the suckling.

Jac set Star and Jasper down and smiled as she helped get the twins off Raj's legs. She had named them Ethan and Aiden from some mundane TV show she liked, but Raj jokingly referred to them as ‘The two terrors.’

“Right. Who’s hungry?”

***

Raj ducked as a spoonful of food went over his head. Jasper giggled as Ethan looked over at his plate. “I want pizza!”

Jac usually tried to keep feeding separate because arguments often broke out over the different kinds of food. Warlock children could eat what they liked, and it often caused issues at mealtimes.

Raj picked up the fork of Ethan’s plate and pretended to take a bite. “Mmm-“ He rubbed his stomach. “Nice meat.” Ethan looked at him unapprovingly. He was smarter than that. Aiden chewed enthusiastically, without using a knife and fork.

“You can’t have pizza, Ethan. We said before that it will make you sick.” Ethan sulked as he went back to eating his piece of meat. Raj wiped the counter before pouring another blood bag into a cup and passing it to Star. Having so much meat and blood about meant that they needed to be particularly careful with keeping the place tidy. Low behold anyone who came over and looked in the fridge. Aiden looked over at Star. She licked the end of her straw, as she held out her cup to him. Her mouth and top were scarlet red. Jac had long given up using a regular washing machine instead of Magic. Both Raj and Jac rushed forward, as Aiden dipped a hunk of meat in it, but he clapped in excitement and asked to do it again. Ethan reached across the table, to do the same.

Raj sighed as he put a forkful of his own food into his mouth. He rolled his eyes and wiped his face as he laughed. “Well that’s great! They’re all going to want blood from now on!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long, I've been a tad busy with other stuff. Thanks to anyone who's reading <3


End file.
